A week after Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen alleged that two teenagers were killed as part of a “ritualistic sacrifice” of a white nationalist cult, the prosecutor called it a “fanciful” theory.
Attorneys for the 50-year-old accused killer claimed in a filing that a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group, called Odinists, “ritualistically sacrificed” Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi, Indiana in 2017.
Now Carroll County prosecutor, Nicholas McLeland, blasted the defence’s filing, according to The Journal & Courier.
Mr McLeland wrote that only 13 pages of the defence’s 136-page filing made any relevant allegations: “The remaining 90 per cent of the Memorandum outlines its fanciful defense for social media to devour.”
Libby and Abby’s bodies had both been staged with tree branches and sticks across their bodies in the shape of pagan symbols, the defence team’s documents stated – which “resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene.”
Law enforcement had explored possible links between the killings early on in the investigation – but then quickly “abandoned” the theory after speaking to an unidentified professor who refuted any possible link, the defence argued.
However, three law enforcement officers continued to probe a possible connection.
Those documents make many claims about Odinism’s ties to the case, including “possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene,” and even accusations that Odinites are working as corrections officers at Westville Correctional Facility where Mr Allen is being held awaiting trial.
On 13 February 2017, Libby and Abby went for a hike along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi. During the walk, Libby posted a photo of her best friend on Snapchat as they walked along the bridge.
Moments later, Libby captured a video of a man – known as “Bridge guy” – dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket and a cap walking along the abandoned railroad bridge. In the clip, the man tells the pair: “Guys, down the hill.” Investigators have since said they believe Mr Allen to have been “Bridge guy.”
Later that day, the teenagers were reported missing when they failed to return to a spot where a family member was picking them up.
The next day, their bodies were discovered in a wooded area less than half a mile off the trail along the side of Deer Creek. Although few details about what happened to the duo have been revealed, the court documents detailed that the girls’ necks had been slashed.
Mr Allen has been charged with two counts of murder; he has pleaded not guilty.
Since his arrest in October 2022, Mr Allen has confessed to the 2017 murders multiple times behind bars – including in a phone call with his wife. His attorneys, however, said that Mr Allen’s confession cannot be believed due to his current mental state.
